Growing up I was always patriotic. We were proud to be Americans and proud to fly the American Flag. We treated our country and flag with respect, always. Times have changed for many over the generations. Me, yes, I'm still proud to be an American and grateful to all that have served our country since our quest for independence. Monday will be memorial day and I thank those Americans who have served our country to keep us free and safe. Thank you!

This weeks FREEBIE is in honor of July 4th and in memory of all those brave men and women that serve or have served our country. The FREE digi will be available for download all day Sunday. You can find it in the FREEBIE section under Sunday Digi.

Enjoy, and Y'all come back now.

gail

The holiday season is not the same without SNOW! Now that I'm aging, seeing snow fall from the sky is not an exciting event. By nature I'm a "beach" gal and not the ski slope type. But, snowmen, I LOVE them.

This week's digit is a snowman head. He would look so cute with his hat & nose glittered, and his scarf glazed with Glossy Accents. When cutting him out, the fringe on his scarf is hard to navigate. Remove the fringe cutting on an angle or wavy slope and he looks great. Enlarge him and turn him into a gift tag.

He's available to download for FREE all day today until midnight. You can find the download in the FREEBIES section under SUNDAY digi.

Enjoy! And, Y'all come back now!

gail

Glad to be back on the drawing board! The last couple of weeks I took a break from my favorite things to do and kicked up my heels with some old friends in Nashville . Halloween night was colder than I remember in years. Our beautiful fall weather turned to a windy, chilly freeze. Us girls celebrated a Nashville Halloween by taking a late night ghost tour in a hearse. What we didn't know was the hearse was a convertible. October 31st in Nashville was frigid cold with hefty winds blowing. Even covered with blankets we were shivering....and doing a lot of laughing. The tour guide was speaking into his microphone while sitting in a heated cab. The speakers which blasted stories of ghosts were located near my feet. The sounds were muffled as we tried to listen to the story. It was actually so unpleasant there was nothing to do except laugh at the situation. We really had a fabulous time. And of course having great friends always makes for a good time.

Now that I'm back home again, we're only weeks away from Thanksgiving. Before we can blink, we will be preparing for the Christmas holiday. Today's digi is the first of many FREEBIE holiday images to come as we prepare in celebration of the holiday season.

This weeks FREE Digital image is a Santa Babble. Grab him while you can. He'll be available to download all day Sunday until midnight. You can find the download under the FREEBIES Tab to the left.

gail

Giving thanks is something I think about frequently. Some people, look at my life and wonder how does Gail do it? Why? Because I'm a caretaker for my favorite guy Basil.

My husband unexpectedly became disabled in 2007 after back surgery left him a paraplegic. It took both of us quite a while to accept our new way of life and create a routine that works. We learned by the seat of our pants which I think made both of us stronger and wiser. I'm quite a distance from family which puts me pretty much on my own without help. My wonderful husband truly wants me to have whatever it is that makes me happy - and that's him. Who would ask for more. Every day I give thanks. I'm terribly grateful for my life, my loving husband, wonderful family, friends and neighbors who are always there to provide a helping hand. And of course I'm thankful to all of you that use my images for your own creations. Thank you!

And so Giving Thanks is the theme for my FREE digi this week. I hope you enjoy it and remember to give thanks.

The FREE DIGI can be downloaded under the FREEBIE Tab to the left. It will be available all day Sunday until midnight.

Y'all come back now!

gail

Have you ever walked through a haunted house? They can be pretty scary but for some reason I wanted to experience a spooky Halloween. A couple of friends and I decided to support a youth group's drive to raise money for their High School Senior Trip. The group renovated a barn into a Haunted House for Halloween. The entrance was by way of a tunnel leading from the outside. Slowly the diameter of the tunnel began to shrink smaller and smaller as we crawled on our hands and knees. I didn't realize my friend was claustrophobic. Eight feet into the tunnel she decided it was time to back out only to have three people behind her forced to crawl backwards to the entrance. I pushed forward only to find myself at the top of the barn loft facing a ladder requiring me to descend downward. This was the only way out---down. Not to bad unless you have a fear of heights like I do. Scary is mild compared to how I felt. I did push on and climb down the ladder to the floor of the barn, with my heart beating rapidly and the sweat pouring down my face. Seemed like a 100 steps to the bottom. That was the last year for a haunted house visit!

This weeks Free Digi is a haunted House. Grab it before midnight Sunday and download it from the Sunday FREEBIE page. You'll find the page under the FREEBIE Tab. Enjoy and Y'all come back now!

gail

Late is engraved in my genes. And last night I had a few computer issues that kept my post and FREE digi from being uploaded on time. I don't drink beer but could have used a cold one to chill out yesterday while I was dealing with my very uncooperative software. Ask my son who was trying to help me and he'll tell you quickly that after multiple calls from his mother, it wasn't the software but the computer operator causing the issue. And, he was right!

Thoughts about father's day and knowing I have a bit of Irish in my blood, I've chosen my beer mug for this week's FREE digital image. You can find it FREE under the FREEBIES tab.

Enjoy and Y'all come back now!

gail

Meet Lily Baby Bun, my valentine digital stamp that is FREE this Sunday under the FREEBIES tab. When my Granddaughter Lily was born last May, I was inspired to create a digital stamp line dedicated to her. The Digital Lily Bun Collection is a family of bunnies that celebrate every holiday. Lily Bun, Lily Baby Bun and Lily Granny Bun are three generations of bunnies. You can find a few of my Lily Buns in my Valentine Collection.

Lily Baby Bun Valentine digital image makes a cute card for your favorite Valentine or print and cut her out as an embellishment for a scrapbook page. You can bet that my Granddaughter's 2014 Valentine Card will feature this Lily Baby Bun stamp!

Enjoy Baby Lily.

Y'all come back now and visit me again!

gail

My husband and I spent the week in the Smokey Mountains with friends. What a great week. The weather was far from snowy! Yesterday afternoon the temperature reached a spring-like 76 degrees. Can you believe it! I'm not complaining....I love snowmen but I dislike that white stuff that has to be shoveled.

But, soon it will be Christmas and it should be snowing. What's more appropriate than Mr. Snowman. This weeks's FREE digi is just that. Grab it by midnight Sunday. Hope you enjoy him.

Wishing everyone a very wonderful holiday!

Merry Christmas and Y'all come back now!

gail

This week I decided that most people have their Christmas Cards, Invitations, Place Cards, Tree Trimming and anything else Christmas already completed....except maybe all the present wrapping. I decided to move on to the next holiday and design a New Years WordArt for my Sunday FREEBIE. The WordArt can be used for a New Year's greeting card or an invitation.

Several years ago we had a family member hospitalized and there was no time to make Christmas cards. So, I sent everyone a Happy New Years Card.

Read below how I created this very simple card to ring in 2014.

New Years Card or Party Invitation

The WordArt was printed on glossy paper. I used photo paper. When the photo finished printing I immediately sprinkled clear, translucent glitter over the top of the WordArt. Then I lightly brushed across the top of the photo so that minimal glitter was left on the print...just enough to give it a bit of sparkle. 7 layers of card stock; gold glitter, black gloss and silver paper. Each layer was cut 1/4" smaller than the previous layer. Gold card stock was used for the card base. Pop dots were used to elevate the top 4 layers and I added a ribbon to the top 6 layers. Simple isn't it?

This digi stamp also works for a New Year's Party invitation or can be incorporated into a center piece for your New Years Eve Celebration.

gail

Preparing for gift giving always includes gift tags to keep all my presents labeled correctly, especially with gift giving to such a large family as I have.

This weeks FREE digi is a Christmas stocking that can be used in several ways; as a gift tag, an embellishment for the top of a gift, or an ornament for your tree. It's especially a fun craft project for kids.

I used red paper for the boot and silver glitter paper for the cuff, toe and heel. After cutting and attaching these parts, I ran the stocking through an embossing machine such as a CuttleBug or Big Shot. I cut a second cuff to place on the back side of the tag and sandwiched the ribbon loop between the two cuffs using double sided tape. Using two sizes of oval punches (1-3/4" and 1-3/8") I created a name tag in red and white so I had a spot to hand print the gift recipient's name. A hole punch was used to place an opening in the top of the oval tag. Then I threaded the hole with a piece of ribbon tied into a simple knot and attached with a large glue dot. I then added the holly leaves with glue dots and the berries with craft glue. Another idea is to add some stitching lines around the bottom of the cuff, the toe and the heel edge with a black marker or pen. I added my stitching after I took the photo so it's not shown in the picture above.

Simple and fun. Hope you enjoy.

Y'all come back now!

gail

Author

It's a wonderful feeling being able to work doing what you most enjoy. I spent my career in the business world and now I spend my days doing what I love...being creative. I hope you'll find my site useful and find inspiration for your own creative projects.